The primary attraction of Bahia Drake is the 108,000 acre Corcovado National Park. We went today, guided by Manuel, who has been guiding here for the past 18 years, and living here for the past 30. We left a little after 6:30 n the morning (we had an early breakfast), and rode for about a half an hour to the San Pedrillo Ranger Station. Manuel was a completely awesome tour guide, saw many things based on how he listened to the jungle canopy. If I had to hike the Costa Rican jungles for some reason, I would want him on my side, guiding me.
We did a 3 hour hike in the morning, winding up at a stream after hiking under the canopy in an exceptionally diverse area. We saw ring tailed kingfisher, puracao, golden orb spider (their webs are used to make kevlar), an anole lizard, capuchin, spider monkeys, and macaws (a pair of whom were romantically inclined) during the hike. We then returned for lunch and then hiked out to a waterfall, followed by a dip in the swimming pool. You have to hike about 10 hours to get to the next ranger station, and it takes several days to cross the peninsula.
There are approximately 500 species of trees in the park such as: the giant mahogany reaching over 80 feet high, strangler fig trees, and the unusual garlie tree. There are also over 360 types of birds, and the park protects the largest population of scarlet macaws in the country.
After our hiking, we came back to the resort, and hit the salt water swimming pool. The bar opened with appetizers at about 4:30 (and with beer at 3:30), so we showered, relaxed, snacked, and I wrote in the blog. I also had an unusually difficult (connectivity wise) skype call home, which made me realize that the wifi probably leaves a lot to be desired...thank goodness for 3G!
Enjoy what your New Year brings you starting today!
